Mamgr



Aug. 25, .1925. 1,551,279

B. O. AUSTIN ET AL FUSE MECHANISM Filed March 5, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS 54: um 0. usfin k Palm/r16. arn.

ATTORNEY Aug. 25, 1925. 1,551,279

B. O. AUSTIN ETAL FUSE MECHANISM WITNESSES: I INVENTORS Patented Aug. 25, 1925.

EDI STATES P ATEPNT 'B'AsoUno. liustrm Ann I LIAM G. HORN; or wrnxmsnnne, PENNSYLVANIA, srenons To wnsrrnenousn ELECTRIC ANnMANuFAcTUIuNe cement-Moon mansion on PENNSYLVANIA.

uss MECHANISM.

Airplicatioi1lfiled March- 5, 1921. Serial No. 449,793.

To; all whom it may c'o noewt:

Be'it known that we, BASCUM O. AUSTIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania,and YVrL- LIAM Gr, HORN, a subject of the Ki-ng of Great Britain, anda resident of lVilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new, and useful lm'prcjyement in Fuse Mechanism, of which the following is a'specification. "Our invention relates, to fuse mechanism and particularly to fuse mechanism for high-potential circuits such as are employed on eleetric locomotives and the like- One object of our invention is to provide a fuse box wherein the fuse is mounted in an enclosing holder that may be turned toa position wherein the fuse terminals are disengaged from the live terminalsof the circuit and, consequently, are safe to handle. By reason of this arrangement, the practice of disengaging the contact shoe of the locomotive from the feed conductor is obviated and, as a consequencethereof, considerable time is saved 'in renewingthe fuse.

Another object of our invention is to provide a fuse mechanism wherein the fuse connections to the c ontact terminals are positively secured and wherein the connecting means is operable from the exterior of the 7 box housing and serves to positively hold the fuse holder and the terminal housing in closed operative position.

1 Another object of our invention is to provide a fuse mechanism wherein the fuse holder is pivotally attached to the terminal housing whereby two different motions of the holder with respect to the housing are necessary before access may be had tothe fuse within the holder. By reason of this method of mounting, interlocking means between the terminal housing and the fuse holder'must first be released by a disengaging movement which tends to disconnect the fuse from the contact terminals in the housing before rotary opening movement of the holder is permitted.

Another object of our invention is to proa Simple housing wherein the housing hers may readily be molded of insu- 1 9mm,, y Y

hani m wh ein the. fusible .1,r-*'e tlasleepweet e bers within the holder by means of wedges operated by insulated hand "screws and wherein the contact members are provided with projecting wedges that are positively held in engagement with thecontact tei minals by means of insulated hand screws. Theseand other objects, that will be made apparent throughout the further descrip tionof the invention, are attained by means Of the fuse mechanism hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanying draw- 111 's, wherein i figure 1 is a View, partly section and partly inside elevation, .illustratingo u in proved switch mechanism; Fig. 2 is an end ,elevat'onal View of .the apparatus shown'in Fig. '1 and r Fig. 3' is a section on the line III-III of Fig. 1,' showing a portion of the mechanism. i V

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus includes a metallicflsupport member ,4 to which an overhung contact terminal' housing 5, made of molded insulating compound, is

secured means ,Of bolts 6; A r ntal'lii-nge member 7 is secured to the support l by by me n of s r 8- This membe is P ,Vided with two downwardly eXtending forked projections 9 havingvertical slots 11 disposed therein for 'receivingfla hinge P 2, the P po e f Wh i i ld fcii after appear. The s ng 5 is p ovided w th a pair of s p ra e Tco i ac -t m al m m e 1. that are made of conductive material and are provided with terminal clampsi i'by which the contact' termi'nal isolamped to a f e nd to 15 by mea f o ts 16- The contact terminals 13 are disposed in opposite ends of the housing, only one of them being illustrated in Fig. 1. It will he understood that the apparatus, shown in side elevation in Fig. 1, is an'exact duplicate of the mechanism illustrated in the left half portionof the figure. i i

The contact terminals13 are Sammie the housing 5 by means of screws 17- The lower edgeof the contact'terminal' 13 is provided with a slot 18 having tapered con tact walls 19 that are adapted to reeeive a wedgeshaped extension 21 vthatis an lli; tegral p rt of a Contact member 22 be m n ce d sc ib 1 with a perforation 23 through which a threaded screw member 24 is inserted. Longitudinal displacement of the screw member 24, with respect to the contact 13, is prevented by a screw 25 which pro ects into an annular groove 26 that is provided in the shank of the screw 24. The outer end of the screw 24 is provided with an enlarged head 27 about which a hand wheel 28 of insulating compound is molded.

The upper portion of the housing 5, adjacent to the pin 24, is provided with a perforation 29 into which a cylindrical neck 31 of the contact terminal 13 projects. This neck serves to center the contact member during the assembling operation. An 1ntegral annular ridge 32 projects upwardly from the housing 5 and surrounds the opening 29 to prevent water or foreign materials from gaining access to the interior of the housing. The underside of the hand wheel 28 is provided with an annular groove 33 into which the upper edge of the annular ridge 32 projects. It is, therefore, impossible for rain water to gain access to the in- V terior of the housing.

A fuse holder 36 includes a metal bracket 37 that is hinged to the extensions 9 by means of the hinge pins 12, and an insulating fuse housing or holder 38 is secured to the bracket 37 by means of the bolts 39. The housing 38 is made of molded insulating compound and is provided with an operating handle 41 by means of which the housing 38 may be turned to open position, as

indicated in the dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The housing consists of an open inner side 42 that lies contiguous to the insulating wall 43 of the housing 5 when the holder is in closed position. The top portion of the holder 38 is also open and is adapted to be closed by the overhung housing 5 when the holder 38 is moved into a position wherein the fuse-contact terminals 22 are in operative engagement with the cotntact terminals 13.

The contact terminals 22 are disposed in opposite ends of the holder 38 and are attached thereto by means of screws 44. Each fuse-contact member 22 is provided with a groove 45 having the lowermost wall 46 thereof inclined with respect to the upper wall 47. A metal wedge block 48 is inserted within the groove 45 for the purpose of clamping the fusible element 49 between the wedge block and the lower portion of the fuse-contact member 22.

The fuse-contact terminal is provided with a perforation 51 through which a screw member 52 is inserted. The screw member is held against relative longitudinal movement with respect to the contact member 22 by means of a screw 53 that projects into an annular groove 54 provided in the screw 52. The outer end of the screw is provided with an enlarged head 55 about which is molded a hand wheel 56 that consists of insulating compound.

Each end of the housing 38 is provided with an opening 57 through which the screw 52 and the inner collar of the hand wheel 56 extend. The openings 57 are surrounded by means of integral annular collars 58 for the purpose of preventing moisture and foreign objects from entering the holder. The hand wheels 56 are grooved in a manner similar to the hand wheels 28 and for the same purpose.

The threaded end of the screw 52 is normally in threaded engagement with the wedge block 48 and, consequently, when the handle 56 is rotated, the screw 52 is similarly rotated, and the wedge block 48 moved into and outof clamping position.

The fuse 49 is positioned adjacent its center by means of an insulating bridge or projection 59 that is an integral part of the housing. The lower central portion of the housing is provided with a downwardly extending conduit 61 which provides an outlet for the gases generated by the explosion or rupture of the fuse.

The underside of the overhung housing 5 is provided with a channel 62 in which a pliable insulating packing 63 is secured. The upper edge of the holder 38 is formed in the shape of a ridge 64 that is similar in contour to the groove 62 and projects into the groove into engagement with the packing to form a substantially moisture-proof and dust-proof joint between the upper face of the holder and the end face of the overhung housing.

As previously stated, when the fuse-contact member 22 is in operative conductive engagement with the contact terminals 13, the tapered projections 21 of the former project into the tapered grooves 18 of the latter. The holder and the housing are retained in the closed operative position, indicated in Fig. 1, by means of the screws 24 that are operated by the hand wheels 28. It will be apparent from the foregoing that, in order to open the fuse holder, the holder mustfirst be lowered until the ends of the projections 21 clear the lower face of the overhung housing. This lowering movement is accomplished by so turning the hand wheels 28 simultaneously that the housing is lowered by the action of the screws 24 which have threaded engagement with the projections 21. The slots 11 in the projections 9 of the support permit of this lower ing movement.

when the holder has been lowered to a position wherein the projections 21 clear the lower face of the housing 5, the screws 24 are disengaged from the projections 21. The holder may then be swung to the open position, indicated in broken lines in Fig. 2,

wherein the fuse contact members are disga'ged from the "live contact terminals 13.

11 order toT- -1"ehew the "fuse, the hand wheels 56'' are turned to" move the wedge blocks 48 toward the center of the box. The remainsof theexplodedfuse may then be removed from the contact members 22 and a new .fuse' 49' inserted. T-h'ehand Wheels 56 are then turned to draw the Wedge blocks 48 into'clamping engagement, with t-hen'ew fuse." Marthe-fuse has been replaced, the holder '38"i s turned upward untilflthe entire side face thereof engages the side of the support. The fuse-contact members 22 are thenmegistered with the contact terminals and the housing is then'moved upwardly by the operator until the projections 21 are brought into contact with the lower extremitiesof the screws Theholder is heldin this position until 'the threads of the screws 24 are brought into operative engagement with the projections 21. The liand 'wheels'28 are simultaneouslyiotated ii ntil the contact members22 are brought into operative" conductive engagement Wit the contact terminals 13.

" It"W-i=ll"be"apparent from the foregoing that the screws '24 serve to" positively connect the fuse-contact members 22 and the contact terminals 13 and to positively hold the holder'in closed- 'bperative engagementwith the'housing '5. 'l he construction is compact, is substantially Water-proof and is safe to operate.

While we have described and illustrated but one embodiment of our invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art, that various modifications, substitutions, changes, omissions and additions may be made in the apparatus described and illustrated without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

We claim as our invention 1. Fuse mechanism comprising a support, a contact terminal secured to the said support and having a socket therein, a fusible element, a holder for the fusible element pivoted to the said support and havin a tapered extension fitting into the said s et and preventing rotary movement of the holder when the latter is in operative position and means extending through the socket and engaging the said extension for displacing the holder to permit or rotary movement thereof.

2. Fuse mechanism comprising a support, a contact terminal secured thereto, a fusible element, a holder therefor pivoted to the support and movable into engagement therewith and a locking means for sliding the holder radially with respect to the axis of rotation thereof and for releasing the holder and the support for permitting relative rotary movement of the holder when the said means has moved a predetermined distance.

Fuse mechanism comprising a pair of supporting members having a slot-and-pin' connection, a contact terminal secured. to

one of the members, a fusible element secured to the other member and means for relatively moving the members radially with respect to the axisof the pin whereby the contact terminal and the fusible element are locked relation by relative movement of the members other than angular movement.

5. Mechanism comprising a pair of members attached to one another for relative angular and sliding movements, a contact terminal in one member, a conductor element in the otherfmember that is accessible when the members are in angular relation and interlocking terminals on the members for preventing relative angular movement of the members when the members have been slidably moved a predetermined distance with respect to one another and externally operative means carried by the terminals for locking the members and terminals in operative osition.

6. i echanism comprising a pair of interlocked housing members hinged together by a slot-and-pin connection and separable a limited distance by relative movement first in a substantially radial direction with respect to the hinge and then by rotary angular movement, and separate contact members within the housing, the said contact members being connected when the housing members are in interlocked relation.

7 An electrical fixture comprising a pair of joined and interlocked housing members hinged together by a slot-and-pin connection and being separable by relative movement first in the plane of joinder thereof and then by rotary angular movement.

8. An electrical fixture comprising a pair of joined and interlocked housing members hinged together by a slotand-pin connection and separable by relative movement first in the plane of joinder thereof and then by rotary angular movement and means for relatively moving the members in the plane of j oinder thereof.

9. Mechanism comprising a pair of joined housing members hinged together by a slotand-pin connection for relative rotary and sliding movement and contact members carried by the housing members and adapted to be connected when the housing members are relatively moved in the plane of joinder thereof.

10. Mechanism comprising a pair of oined housing members hinged together by a slotand-pin connection for relative rotary and sliding movement, contact members carried by the housing members and adapted to be connected when the housing members are relatively moved in the plane of joinder thereof, the said contact members having interlocking means whereby rotary movement of the housing is prevented so long as the contact members are connected.

11. Fuse mechanism comprising a support having an overhung housing for enclosing a contact terminal, a fuse holder pivoted to the support and having a fuse, a contact member registering with the contact terminal when the fuse holder is in its closed position with respect to the housing, and means whereby the holder is bodily moved toward the overhung housing to connect the contact terminal with the contact member and to close the space between the housing and the holder.

12. Fuse mechanism comprising a support having an overhung housing for enclosing acontact member, a fuse holder pivoted to the suppolt and having an open side and an open top portion adapted to be closed by the support and the overhung housing re spectively when the holder is in closed position, overlapping means on the housing and the holder for preventing rotary movement of the holder when the holder is in closed position and means for permitting relative movement of the housing and holder for disengaging the overlapping means to permit of rotary opening movement of the holder.

18. Fuse mechanism comprising a support having an overhung housin for enclosing a contact member, a fuse ho der pivoted to the support and having an open side and an open-top portion adapted to be closed by the support and by the overhunghousing, respectively, when the holder is in closed position, a fusible element within the holder and accessible when the holder is in angular open position with respect to the support and connected to the contact member when the holder is in closed position, overlapping means on the housing for preventing rotary movement of the holder when the holder is in closed posit-ion and means for permitting relative movement of the housing and the holder for disengaging the overlapping means to permlt of rotary openlng movement of the holder.

In testimony whereof, We have hereunto subscribed our names this 28th day of February, 1921.

BASCUM O. AUSTIN. WILLIAM G. HORN. 

